WASHINGTON - A young US diplomat killed in Afghanistan was remembered by colleagues and family members as an intelligent woman who was still in the early stages of her career.

Anne Smedinghoff, 25, was killed along with four other Americans in a car bomb blast as their convoy traveled in Zabul province on Saturday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry praised her on Sunday, describing her as "everything that is right" about the US foreign service.

The fresh-faced Smedinghoff, whose Afghanistan business card read "Assistant Information Officer", was known as being sweet and eager, with a warm disposition.

Speaking in Turkey, Kerry described her as "smart and capable" and a "brave American" whom he met on his visit to Afghanistan last month.

The Smedinghoff was on her way to bring textbooks to school children when she was killed, according to a statement from her family.

"We saw the vilest form of terrorism, but as I hope the world will have learned by now, and if it hasn't, it will over time, America does not and will not cower before terrorism," Kerry said.

Smedinghoff's parents, who live near Chicago, said in a statement published by the Chicago Sun-Times that she joined the Foreign Service after college and loved her job.

"She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help to make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war," her parents, Tom and Mary Beth Smedinghoff, said.

Smedinghoff first served as a diplomat in Caracas.

In comments posted on the newspaper's website, former friends and colleagues expressed grief and disbelief.

"I am a friend and colleague of Anne. We were in Spanish class and served in Venezuela together. Anne was a light in an otherwise dark world. She made a difference to everyone she met," one commenter identified as David C. Grier, said.